The Rules
by itsu-sual
Summary: Oneshot, RyukRem: Sometimes, the temptation is just too much.


Ryuk stared at Rem with curiosity.

It wasn't like her to fall asleep - that was something only the lazy shinigami did. And being a boring, strict, uptight kind of shinigami, Rem was certainly not the kind to fall asleep for no reason.

Light and Misa slept peacefully in bed. Rem was huddled in the corner looking, to Ryuk, like a slimy, dusty, ugly, shrivelled, pale pile of bones. A living, lanky skeleton with no sense of fun.

And it was beautiful.

Ryuk set down the apple he had been nibbling on Light's bedside table, careful not to make any noise. With difficulty he crept and crawled towards Rem, very slowly so as not to wake her, and wincing every time his jewellery, belt and feathers rustled, clanked and creaked. He sat down softly in front of her, cross-legged, and leaned forward to get a better look at her face.

Rem's uncovered eye was shut tightly, it's yellow glint hidden by her blue eyelids. Ryuk thought he could vaguely see her eye rolling and moving about underneath the dusty skin, and tilted his head to the side. "Disgusting," he thought, and licked his lips. He continued to sit very still observing her eyelid, trying to figure out whether she was asleep or just pretending. Perhaps her eye was rolling about because she was having a nightmare? But then, do people really squeeze their eyes so tightly shut when they sleep? And what reason would Rem have to fall asleep? Usually she would sit and watch Misa, like some guardian angel, grimacing every time Light moved closer to the girl. Now, Rem wasn't even facing in the bed's direction.

Ryuk turned his attention to Rem's lips. Slightly parted, fangs as yellow as her eyes peeked out from the cold, blue skin. As he stared at them, he momentarily considered what a blue apple would taste like - would the skin be as cold and greasy as the lips he was looking at now? If he bit into the apple, would the taste be one of happiness or despair? Judging by her soft, slow breathing, Ryuk decided she must be asleep, and moved his face closer towards hers.

Apples. Lips. Apples. Lips.

Ryuk felt strangely tempted. He gently traced Rem's face with his right claw, looking about nervously to make sure that both of the humans were asleep. Rem's face felt soft, and he stroked her cheek with his nails, and found himself suppressing the desire to dig his nails into her cheek and scratch and scrape his mark onto the skin. He moved his finger to her lips, sliding back and forth over them.

Closer.

He could feel her acrid breath on his face now. "Bitter," he thought, wrinkling his nose. If red apples were sweet, and green apples were sour, then, Ryuk concluded, blue apples must be bitter. But the temptation to find out was too great for Ryuk.

Ryuk licked Rem's lips. And tasted nothing.

Frowning in confusion, Ryuk pressed his lips on hers as gradually and tenderly as he could manage. Ah, there. A hint, a taste of something, but neither sweet nor sour. But Ryuk wanted more. He wanted to know. Nervously, he dug his teeth into Rem's lips and nibbled them lightly.

Rem let out a heavy sigh. Ryuk jumped back in shock.

Lazily opening her eye, Rem stared sadly at Ryuk, and simply said

"X, X, X, V, I."

Ryuk contorted his face in disgust, Rem noting quietly to herself that this was the first time she had seen Ryuk showing a genuine emotion other than amusement. He tried in vain to compose himself and think of some way to make this all into a joke, a practical joke, a trick on Rem, but instead, Ryuk only thought of anger and apples.

He spat violently onto the floor, trying to rid himself of the taste of Rem's lips, to rid himself of the temptation for more. Rem jumped back, curling closer to the corner she sat in, and searched for Ryuk's eyes.

He caught her gaze. And wished he hadn't.

Ryuk lunged forward, trapping Rem into the corner and sliding his leathery arms around her waist. With one claw he pulled her face towards his, viciously pressing his lips onto hers, biting, chewing, sucking. "Just a taste," he inwardly reassured himself, "Nothing more". Rem shuddered as the black shinigami sunk his teeth into her skin, knowing this was against the rules, this was wrong, this was dangerous. But she was trapped. He had his arms and legs tangled around hers like a spider wrapping a fly in a web, and she was helpless. Weak.

Ryuk flicked his tongue inside her mouth, pricking his tongue on her teeth, but determined now to find that taste again. Finding Rem's own slimy tongue, he tugged at it with his, at last finding that taste again. Rem recoiled further into the corner. Ryuk only pushed himself further, trapping her more.

He released her momentarily, panting to regain his breath. "Blue apples…" he mumbled to himself, leaning his chin on her tangled, greasy hair and pulling her closer towards him. He shivered. "Blue apples…"

Rem gasped for air as Ryuk pressed her head against his chest. "Ru…" she heaved. "Rul…" Ryuk looked down at her sharply, cupping her head in his claws so that she was forced to stare him in the eye. "Rules…" she wheezed.

Ryuk twisted his face again. But now, Rem thought, it was not anger. It was the same hurt and despair she had seen on the faces of caged animals. She sighed sorrowfully, not taking her eyes off Ryuk's.

"X, X, X, V, I," Ryuk groaned. He rolled his eyes upwards and pushed Rem's face against his chest once more, leaning his head on hers. Wrapping his arms firmly around her, they sat in silence, trying to regain their breath. Rem unconsciously pressed herself closer to Ryuk, exhausted. Unsteadily she began to slide her boney arms around his leathery frame.

The alarm clock on Light's bedside table shrieked, "07:00" flashing repeatedly. Startled, Ryuk crawled quickly away from Rem to the other side of the room with wide eyes. As the humans stirred, Ryuk looked at Rem apologetically, awkwardly. She stood, lurching towards Ryuk, and whispering in his ear before the humans were fully awake,

"You can bend the rules. But you can't break them."


End file.
